Amputee says left 'crawling across the floor' after airline security confiscated scooter batteries

A Canadian amputee is petitioning to have his case heard by the Canadian Human Rights Commission after an official with the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) at a Calgary airport confiscated the batteries needed to power his portable scooter. Stearn Hodge lost his left arm and right leg in a workplace accident in 1984 and uses a scooter powered by lithium batteries to get around. He can wear a prosthetic leg, but not for long because of the risk of infection, according to the outlet. In 2017, Hodge was travelling to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with his wife for their 43rd wedding anniversary when a CATSA security agent at the Calgary International Airport and a representative from United told him it was unsafe to fly with his scooter's $2,000 battery and its spare. Hodge was prepared and presented documents he'd printed from the IATA, that said that while there is a risk of fire hazard with Lithium-ion batteries, the association's global standards make exceptions for the medical devices of travellers with disabilities if the airlines gives prior approval, the outlet reported. He had that approval, he told CBC. But Hodge said that no one would listen to him or read the documents. The Canadian Air Transit Security Authority declined to comment, citing pending litigation. When Hodge asked a United representative to confirm for security that he had gotten permission to bring the batteries on board, CBC reported, the agent sided with security. Story has more.<br/>